FROSTY relations with the Scottish Goverment over its plans to legalise gay marriage have led to Cardinal Keith O’Brien breaking off personal talks on the subject with First Minister Alex Salmond.

Cardinal O’Brien’s calls for a referendum on the issue were dismissed by the administration []

Cardinal O’Brien, leader of Scotland’s 750,000 Catholics, has insisted that all formal communication between church and government in relation to gay weddings be conducted by officials rather than in person.

The rift between the Catholic church and SNP Government over the matter continues to widen despite an “entirely amicable” conversation taking place between the cardinal and first minister on Saturday.

But, in a letter to Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Cardinal O’Brien has asked for any future discussions on the subject to be conducted through officials.

Cardinal O’Brien is said to believe that Alex Salmond’s administration has “completely ignored” the views of the Catholic church.

It is inevitable that government ministers will not always agree with church leaders

A spokesman for the First Minister

It comes just a month after the SNP confirmed that they would bring forward a Bill on the contentious issue, despite tens of thousands of objections.

The Scottish Government received almost 80,000 responses to its consultation, with more than two thirds opposed.

Yesterday a spokesman for Mr Salmond insisted that he and the cardinal are still on speaking terms, saying the pair had recently enjoyed an “entirely amicable conversation on first name terms”.

But Peter Kearney, spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland, admitted that dealings with the Scottish Government on the issue remain “difficult.”

He added: “Cardinal O’Brien is really keen that the perspective and the position of the Catholic Church is conveyed to the Scottish Government, but he isn’t convinced that he necessarily has to do that in person.

“Also, the situation we find ourselves in is one where we want to maintain a dialogue, and the cardinal wants to maintain a dialogue with the Government, but that can be difficult when you feel all the things you have to say, to date at least, have been completely ignored.”

Cardinal O’Brien’s calls for a referendum on the issue were dismissed by the administration.

In June, the cardinal wrote to Mr Salmond, outlining legal advice from a QC who claimed the plans would have wide implications, even forcing teachers to promote same-sex marriage in classrooms.

The Scottish Government has indicated that it will bring the bill forward later this year and ceremonies could take place by the start of 2015.

Ministers have promised that no churches will be forced to conduct gay weddings.

A spokesman for the First Minister said: “It is inevitable that government ministers will not always agree with church leaders.

“This is an honest disagreement about an important policy issue, and we have the utmost respect for the different views expressed.”